Constitution revision on Assembly agenda

Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung delivers his speech to open the fifth session of the 13th National Assembly yesterday in Ha Noi.- VNA/VNS Photo Nhan Sang

HA NOI (VNS)- Deputies will decide the draft for the revised 1992 Constitution at the fifth session of the 13th National Assembly, which opened yesterday.

They will also discuss the revised land law and confidence vote for positions elected or approved by the National Assembly or People's Councils.

Speaking at the session's opening ceremony yesterday, NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung urged the country to take measures to successfully achieve the country's socio-economic development plan for 2013.

Hung said Viet Nam faced many challenges due to unstable macro-economics; many difficulties in economic fields, the restructuring of the banking system, the handling of bad debts, real-estate inventories and the increasing number of failed enterprises.

"The draft of the revised 1992 Constitution has been seriously researched and perfected with a spirit of honestly receiving, researching and filtering opinions on problems posed during the suggestion collection period," said Hung.

He also welcomed suggestions to the draft of the revised 1992 Constitution given by local and overseas Vietnamese.

The NA chairman asked deputies to perfect the revised land law to ensure its feasibility and ability to handle obstacles and shortcomings in implementing current land regulations.

Workers are kept busy on a garment factory's production line in Hoa Binh Province. The increasing number of failed enterprises is among many problems facing Viet Nam, due to unstable macro-economics. - VNA/VNS Photo Trong Dat

The newly introduced vote of confidence for positions elected or approved by the National Assembly or People's Councils will be implemented for the first time. These positions include President, Vice-President, Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, as well as the National Assembly Chairman.

Hung said this was an important reform in the country's political life and was aimed at strengthening Party guidelines, laws and regulations and heightening people's rights by implementing the NA's right to supervise key positions of the Party and Government.

In a Government report on socio-economic development in the first four months of 2013, Deputy Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said it still showed of signs of instability and shortcomings despite changes. Phuc said the Government had reached or passed 11 of 15 targets set by the NA in 2012 to handle the situation.

He said that the Government would focus on strengthening the stability of macro-economics, inflation control - and achieving a higher economic growth rate than in 2012.

Measures would focus on handling production and business plus efforts in tackling bad debts, market development and increasing buying power and consumption, he added.

Priority would be given to social security and welfare, strengthening natural disaster prevention, environment protection and adapting to climate change, he further said.

The Government would encourage administrative reform, improve state administration management and tighten-up on corruption and waste production. Further efforts would also be placed on defence and security; social security and order; and improving foreign affairs.

A report from the NA's Economic Committee said that the economy had faced harder challenges this year. Last year's economic growth of 5.03 per cent was below the rate of 5.2 per cent reported at the last NA session and far below the NA's resolution of a growth rate between 6-6.5 per cent.

In the first four months of 2013, the committee reported, GDP growth was 4.89 per cent, a little higher compared to the same period last year, but still lower than the same period in 2011 and 2010.

Chairman of the economic committee Nguyen Van Giau said that the task for the remaining months of 2013 would be heavy. The main aim was to achieve economic growth and inflation control.

Public comments

On the same day, NA deputies heard a report on key issues raised by the public on the 1992 constitution.

Chairman of the NA Law Committee Phan Trung Ly said feedback on the draft amendments had been collected from more than 26 million people. About 28,000 conferences and dialogues had been held to discuss the issue.

Ly said some people proposed changing the official name of the country but the Committee on Drafting Amendments said that keeping the current name of Socialist Republic of Viet Nam would help to affirm the path to the socialism.

On human and civil rights, Ly said most people praised the draft constitution in acknowledging that human rights covered most basic rights, such as civil rights and rights relating to politics, economy, culture and society in line with international practices.

After collecting public comments on socio-economic issues, the committee found it was essential for the constitution to have regulations on the nature and goal of the economy together with regulations on different economic sectors.

Regarding economic sectors, many proposed the constitution clearly regulate the role of different economic sectors. Based on these opinions, the committee proposed three plans relating to the economy be regulated.

These ranged from the country's economy being a socialist-oriented market economy with the existence of many economic sectors and forms of ownership in which the State-owned economic sector kept the decisive role and the collective economic sector was increasingly developed.

Another plan was for the country's economy to be a socialist-oriented market economy with many forms of ownership and economic sectors.

Fatherland Front

A report from the Viet Nam Fatherland Front and the NA's Standing Committee on voters' opinions said voters worried about unstable development of the economy, prices of electricity and gas and some essential goods, especially agricultural materials.

Voters showed concern about projects that used land wastefully, unprofitable State-owned enterprises and many ineffective state investment projects.

They had also paid a lot attention to corruption, waste, difficulties in people's life and work, environmental pollution, unhygienic food and unsafe roads.

During the one-month session, deputies will discuss contents of the country's socio-economic plan and State budget plan. They will also discuss and approve 10 bills and resolutions on law and ordinance building programmes in 2014 and offer suggestions on seven other bills. - VNS